Backstays
at the topmast head
|
During the course of
the 17th century the topmasts grew longer , the topsails grew ever
larger, and the topgallant masts and topgallant sails were added; by
then the topmast and topgallant shrouds were no longer capable of
providing adequate support. Initially shifting backstays were fitted
but by the middle of the 17th century standing backstays were added in
Britain, initially one pair, but ultimately up to three pairs leading
from the topmast crosstrees to the channels, and set up with deadeyes
and lanyards.
The bacstays were shipped round the topinast head above
the topmast shrouds in exactly the same way as the topmast
shrouds, and from the first half of the 18th century it became usual to
serve many of
them over their ful length. After 1840 backstays were often made of
steel
wire ropes, like the shrouds and stays.
We now to have to differentiate between shifting and
standing backstays. Shifting backstays were set up with tackles, the
running part
of which belayed inboard on a belaying pin or cleat. Standing backstays
were attached with deadeyes (they were the same size as the topmast
shroud deadeyes), blocks (the running part of which was made fast above
the upper block, as with the deadeyes) , thimbles or rigging screws.
The lower blocks of shifting backstays were fitted with a hook. which
was engaged in a ring bolt oh the channel or on the ship's
side abaft the channel. If this ring bolt was located on the channel,
it usually had its own small chain plate. The lower deadeyes, blocks
and thimbles of standing backstays were fixed in place to the channels
with small chain plates, although in some cases they had their own
small backstay stools
- or to ring bolts on the ship's side abaft the channels. Rigging
screws
were fixed to the channels or the ship's side with chain plates.
Backstays were fitted to topmasts, topgallant masts and
royal masts. It was quite common to use a wide variety of methods to
attach the backstays in one and the same ship. For example, including
topgallant and royal masts HMS Victory, Lord Nelson's flagship at
Trafalgar, carries three pairs of shifting backstays with blocks on the
foremast, three pairs of
standing backstays with deadeyes and one pair of standing backstays
with
thimbles, all on the fore channel; two pairs of shifting backstays with
blocks and two pairs of standing backstays with deadeyes on the main
channel,
plus one pair of shifting backstays with blocks, two pairs of standing
backstays
with deadeyes and one pair of standing backstays with thimbles on a
stool
abaft {he main channel; on the mizen mast one pair of shifting
backstays
with blocks on the mizen channel, two pairs of standing backstays with
deadeyes
and one pair of standing backstays with thimbles on a stool abaft the
mizen
mast channel. Before about the middle of the 19th century the backstays
had
a completely free run, but after that time they were led over spreaders
on
the crosstrees. |
